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UV Mapping in Silo
Besides being a great modeling package, Silo also oers a host of UV editing
tools. In this chapter, we will see these tools in action as we apply UV mapping
data to the main areas of our character.
If you would like to know more about UVs and how they work in Silo, refer to
Chapter 3.
(Note: You will nd the les used for this section in the downloaded tutorial
les inside Chapter 12/Files.)
Preparation
As we add UV data to our models, we are telling them how we would like a at
texture to be wrapped around them. This way, the texture artists can easily paint
color detail into the models to make them more realistic, and appealing to look at.
This shows the actual seams for our UV maps on the models when we load
them. This way, we can tell exactly where the UVs will begin and end.
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Open the Material Editor and create a new material by clicking New.
Now click on the button next to the Texture tab and point the browser
to Chapter12/Files/CheckMap.jpg (Figure E12.1).
This texture, also seen in Figure E12.2, is specially made for UV mapping, as it
will help us to keep the UVs straight while highlighting pinching, stretching,
or even mirrored areas around our model.
With the new material ready to go, lets apply UV mapping data to the model.
FIG. E12.1 Create a new material
with a basic texture applied.
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Trousers
The trousers are an ideal place to start. Their shape is relatively simple,
meaning we can apply the UVs easily and achieve the coverage we need
without any complicated maneuvers.
In Figure E12.3a, you will see the trouser model, and the current UV seams,
which are highlighted in blue. The seams represent the UV boundaries, so in
eect the edges of each UV shell. At present these are random because UVs
are assigned by default to any primitive you create. This has then been edited
by us, which, as a result, has broken the UVs.
With a texture applied, you can now see how bad the UVs currently are
(Figure E12.3b). We ideally want to see the checker texture map over the top
FIG. E12.3 The current UVs are broken, which is highlighted when we apply our texture to the model.
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of the model, covering it in a nice, even way. This is just a mess, and could
never be worked with.
Lets start to repair these UVs.
So we can see the actual UVs and the model, go to Display > Viewport
Layout > Vertical Split Layout. This will divide the view into two.
Set the right side to Free Perspective View (press 1) and the left to UV 2D
View (press 9).
You should now see something similar to Figure E12.4a. On the left is our
trouser model, and on the right we can actually see the UVsand what a
mess they are.
With the model selected, go to UVs/Materials > Recreate UVs > Using
XYZ Coords.
Your model and UVs should now look like that seen in Figure E12.4b. We
have replaced the UVs with a straight, top-down projection. It is important
to do this before we start work, as it will set all the UVs to a default state, and
remove any unwanted seams.
If you look at the model now you will notice the seams (blue lines) have gone,
with only a few remaining on the actual borders of the modela perfect
starting point for us.
Next, we will unwrap the UVs, like peeling a layer o the model and laying it
at. To do this, we need to tell Silo where the seams should go. If you look at
your clothing, you will see it has natural seams where each patch has been
sewn together. UVs are similar in that we need to dene patches, but in this
case, we need to look for areas where they are least noticeable.
So it is easier to see the seams, apply the trouser material back onto the
model.
FIG. E12.4 Adjust the viewport layout so we can see the model and UVs.
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Now select the edge loop running up, around the inside leg, and one
running down the front of the trousers and up the back (Figure E12.5b).
Go to UVs/Materials > Mark UV Seams.
The edges you selected have now turned blue to indicate they are seams.
This will unwrap and atten the UVs using the seams you dened to tell it
where the borders are for each shell. You should now be seeing two UV shells,
as shown in Figure E12.6b.
Luckily, both sides of the trousers are identical, so we can focus on just the
one side for now.
Select all the faces of the right-hand side (Figure E12.6c) and go to UVs/
Materials > Mirror UVs.
As you can see in Figure E12.6d, this has taken the opposite side and ipped it
back, over the top of the side we selected, in eect, mirroring the UVs. We can
still see both shells, they are just overlapped.
Following Figure E12.7, select all the UVs and rotate them so they are
orientated correctly (the top of the trousers is at the top, etc.).
Now that they are the same orientation, we now pull these UV shells back
apart, so select a vertex on the left side of the trousers and press Shift++
to expand the selection to the shell.
Now move that shell across so it is no longer over the top of the other
(Figure E12.7c).
We now need to ip the UVs back so they are no longer mirrored. To do
this, go to UVs/Materials > Flip UVs.
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FIG. E12.6 Unwrap the UVs using LSCM and mirror them so we can focus on one side.
Now we to combine these two shells into one, which we can then adjust and
edit. The best place to join them is at the front, where the y is, as this will be
seen the most.
First, make sure the UV shells are aligned next to each other, which they
should be already.
Now select the UVs at the front and scale them toward each other until
they meet (Figure E12.8b).
Finally, select the touching edges and go to UVs/Materials > Move and
Sew to sew the two shells together.
Now we have one, unique shell that is joined at the center. All we need to do
now is adjust the remaining UVs to make sure they are easier to work with
when it comes to texturing.
Ideally, we would like each trouser leg to be squarer so we arent wasting
texture space.
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When your border is dened, you can ask Silo to further relax the UVs, but
ignore the border ones as it does.
Select just the border UVs and go to UVs/Materials > Pin UV Vertices.
These UVs will now turn blue to indicate they are pinned.
(Tip: If you right click in the UV2D editor, you can bring up a quick context
menu containing all the frequently used tools.)
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FIG. E12.9 Square o and pin the UV borders so we can safely relax the main UVs.
You can now safely select all the UVs and either use the Unwrap UVs
Using LSCM or the main Smooth tool to relax them until they resemble
Figure E12.9c.
If you now go back to the perspective viewport you can see how clean our
UVs are, because the texture is clear and free from any serious pinching (Figure
E12.10).
Whats more, if you subdivide the model you will see the UVs remain intact
(Figure E12.11).
The trousers are pretty much done. We recommend giving them a once
over to iron out any small areas where the grid lines are bent or not aligned
correctly. This would be mostly around the borders.
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FIG. E12.11 Your UVs keep their shape on the higher subdivisions.
Jacket
The jacket is a more complicated shape, so we are jumping up slightly in the
diculty department. That being said, we can apply a similar approach to
how we UVd the trousers by marking out the UV seams, and then performing
a general unwrap to get us started.
Hide the trousers and make sure the jacket model is visible, and at its
lowest subdivision.
With the jacket selected, go to UVs/Materials > Recreate UVs > Using
XYZ Coords.
This should give you the cleaner UVs and UV seams seen in Figure E12.12b.
Now we need to mark out our own UV seams, to tell Silo where we would like
the model to be unwrapped.
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FIG. E12.12 Apply a basic projection to the model to clean up the UVs.
FIG. E12.13 Begin to mark the UV seams, starting under the arms and around the collar.
First, create a seam running under each arm, and down the side of the
jacket (Figure E12.13a). This will allow the front and the back UVs to
separate and open up.
Create another seam, this time around the base of the collar
(Figure E12.13b). Because of its shape, we will need the collar to have its
own UV shell and be separate from the jacket. If this were kept as part of
the jacket, the UVs would overlap when we unwrapped it, something we
dont want.
As an extra step, add another seam, just marking the front of each
side of the collar. This will allow the UVs to open up and be attened
(Figure E12.13c).
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FIG. E12.14 Also mark seams on folding or inside areas so they can unwrap fully.
Before we unwrap the UVs, we need to mark two more areas. We built some
inside areas into the jacket, and just as we did with the collar, we need to
create a seam to allow these to open up.
Following Figure E12.14, create two new seams on the inner corners of the
jacket, at the bottom.
Now that we have our seams marked out, we can unwrap the UVs and see
what we end up with.
Select the jacket and go to UVs/Materials > Unwrap UVs Using LSCM.
You should now have two UV shells as illustrated in Figure E12.15, one for the
jacket and another for the collar.
This gives us a great starting point, but the UVs are far from perfect. The back
of the jacket and the arms seem ne, but the areas at the front have bunched
up and arent of much use just yet.
So, lets concentrate on the jacket; select the collar UV shell and move it to
the side.
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Now work around the border UVs, attening and squaring them o, just
as we did with the trousers. For now, just work on the upper, left, and right
UVs (Figure E12.16c).
With those borders dened, select the outer UVs and go to UVs/Materials >
Pin UV Vertices to lock them in place.
Finally, go to UVs/Materials > Unwrap UVs Using LSCM to relax the
remaining UVs (Figure E12.16d).
Now that we have the back of the jacket and the sleeves in a workable state,
we can focus on the front sections of the jacket. To unravel these would take
forever, as we would pretty much be moving each UV one at a time. We could
pull the lower UVs down, separate them, pin them, and then apply another
unwrap, but again this would take timebut not if we used the Live UV
Unwrapping tool.
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FIG. E12.17 Use the Live UV Unwrapping tool to help unravel the bunched up UVs.
(Tip: It is important to have some UVs pinned when using the Live UV
Unwrapping tool, or your whole shell will move and change as you work.
Therefore, when you are satised with a section, pin it.)
Doing this has allowed us to quickly unravel the bunched UVs, so now we can
easily edit them.
Select the lower UVs of the jacket, and scale them to atten them
horizontally (Figure E12.17c).
Pin the lower UVs, and go to UVs/Materials > Unwrap UVs Using LSCM to
relax the inner UVs (Figure E12.17d).
As you can see in Figure E12.18, the UVs are working well with the grid
appearing to cover the jacket in a nice, even way. There is a slight bulge
around her chest but nothing to worry about at this stage.
Moving back to the 2D UV viewport we can see there is still work to do.
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FIG. E12.18 Apply the checker texture to see how the jacket UVs look.
FIG. E12.19 Remove the overlapping UVs and continue to square o the lower border.
Following Figure E12.19, rst separate the overlapping UVs at the front of
the jacket.
(Tip: Remember to disable the Live UV Unwrapping tool before you move any
UVs, or the whole, unpinned shell will move.)
Next, work your way around the bottom of the UV shell to square it o.
Pin the border UVs, select the internal UVs, and use the Smooth tool to
relax them.
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Finally, work around the UV shell to smooth out any other areas that
need work.
All that is left to do now is to adjust the smaller, collar UVs, which should
be much easier to do.
You can see the nal jacket and collar UVs in Figure E12.20.
Figure E12.21 shows how the fully UVd trousers and the jacket now look.
Save your work and we will move on to the jacket.
(You can nd the Silo scene created in this section in Chapter12/Files/12_
JacketUV.sib.)
Upper Body
We are going to look at two more areas in this chapterJades torso and
head. Once we have covered those you should be able to condently tackle
any sized model in Silo, so feel free to continue and practice on her gloves,
boots, or accessories.
Hide the jacket and make sure the torso model is visible and at its lowest
subdivision.
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FIG. E12.22
ApplyElsevier
a default UV
mapAlltorights
clean upreserved.
the UVs and UV seams.
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FIG. E12.23 Dene the new set of seams around her neck, head, and ears.
for each ear. We separate the ears because they hold a lot of detail; if they
remained part of the head the detail would be lost because the UVs would
be too small.
Unlike the jacket, the torso and her head are perfectly symmetrical. This
means we can focus on one side of the UVs and then mirror them across to
create the opposite side, saving us half the work.
Mirroring the UVs has taken the UVs on the right side of the torso and copied
them over the top of the UVs on the left. This could cause confusion when we
come to edit them, as we can still see both sets of UVs.
Mirroring the UVs will not split the shells; instead, it merely folds the UVs
over, leaving the central UVs connected. To separate the shells so you can
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FIG. E12.25 Because the object is symmetrical, we can mirror the UVs,
saving us doing twice the work.
move them, you rst need to mark a new seam down the center of the
model. We didnt add these seams earlier because we wanted the torso
to be unwrapped as a full shell, retaining the nice line of UVs down the
center.
Select the UV shells on the right side of the model and, as shown in Figure
E12.26, move them to the side and out of the way.
Now we can focus our attention on just one side of the model, and re-mirror
the UVs once we are nished. Lets adjust the main torso UVs rst.
Begin editing by moving the central UVs out of the model slightly, and
then Pin these so they do not move (Figure E12.27b).
Now go to UVs/Materials > Unwrap UVs Using LSCM to unwrap the
UVs again. This should relax the shell further, giving you something like
Figure E12.27c.
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FIG. E12.26 Move the mirrored UVs so we dont accidentally edit them.
FIG. E12.27 Adjust the layout of the UVs so the checker map looks clearer on the torsos surface.
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Move around the UV shell now, moving the UVs to achieve a better layout
over your model. A good workow for a shell like this is to enable the Live
UV Unwrapping tool, and once you are happy with the position of a UV,
Pin it to lock its position as you continue to work.
(Tip: You can also use the Soft Selection tool on UVs.)
(Note: Make sure you check the torso frequently in the Free Perspective
Viewport to see how the Checker Map looks on its surface.)
Once you are happy with how the UVs look, you can mirror them again, to
copy this shell to the opposite side.
We still have two shells but we need just one, with a seamless connection
down the center.
Select the edges down the inside of each UV shell (Figure E12.28c).
Go to UVs /Materials > Move and Sew to snap them together, giving you
a single shell as seen in Figure E12.28d.
FIG. E12.28 Mirror the UV shell and ip the opposite side to create a single shell.
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Now we have a single shell again, so we can go in and adjust the UVs further,
this time doing minor tweaks.
Your resulting UV shell should look something like the one seen in Figure
E12.29, which gives you a torso like the one in Figure E12.30.
With the torso complete, we can now move on to the head, which we can
approach in pretty much the same way.
Following Figure E12.31, start by dening the central edge to the head. In
this case, the mouth area is overlapping, so pull these UVs apart to create
a slight opening (Figure E12.31b).
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FIG. E12.31 Dene the border for the head before applying another unwrap operation.
Once you are happy with the UVs for the head, you can move on and generate
the full UV shell.
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FIG. E12.32 Continue to tweak the UVs while opening up the cavity areas like the nose, mouth, and eye.
Select the edges down the inside of each UV shell and go to UVs/
Materials > Move and Sew to snap them together, giving you a single
shell as seen in Figure E12.33c.
The torso, head, and ear UVs are opened and laid out nicely. One problem we
do have is, if you look at Figure E12.35a, the ear UVs take up as much space as
the face. This might not be what you are looking for; we want the UV shells to
be in proportion to each other.
As an example, if we created a grid on the texture page, which ran across each
shell, the grid would change in scale if the UV shells were not in proportion to
each other. This could cause problems on high detail models.
Silo has a great quick x for this.
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FIG. E12.35 Adjust the UV shells so they are in proportion to each other.
Now, as you can see in Figure E12.35b, each UV shell is in proportion to the others.
The main elements we wanted to cover in this chapter are now complete, and
you can see them in Figure E12.36. You should now have the skills to move on
and UV pretty much anything you like in Silo.
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FIG. E12.36 The fully UVd head, torso, jacket, and trousers.
Exporting UVs
Once you have all your UVs nicely laid out, how do you go about taking that
information into a painting package so you can work on the textures? Ideally,
you want a guide to show you the UV shells, so you are fully aware of what,
and where, you are painting.
Luckily, Silo can help you here too with its Export UVs to Image tool. This will
output the UV shells as an image le, giving you a perfect guide for your textures.
When using this tool, Silo will only export what is inside the gray box in the UV
2D Editor, so you rst need to make sure your UVs are scaled correctly.
Again, the developers at Nevercenter have listened to the Silo community and
given us a quick way to do this.
This will take your UVs and globally scale them to squeeze them inside the
gray box.
Do this now for your torso, jacket, and trouser models so they sit nicely
inside the boundaries as in Figure E12.37.
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Select the torso model, go to UVs/Materials > Export UVs to Image, and
open the option box seen in Figure E12.38. This allows you to specify the
image size, and the main colors to be used.
Click Export Image when done and a browser will appear asking you
where you would like to put the image.
(Tip: Steer away from using JPEGs for these exports, as you will end up with
compression artifacts on your imagenot ideal if you intend to use these as a
Photoshop overlay. We suggest sticking to a PNG.)
All done, that was easy wasnt it? Repeat this for the jacket and trouser models
to give you the three UV images shown in Figure E12.39.
We are quickly approaching the end of the main modeling chapters of the book,
and by now you should be able to model, sculpt, and apply UVs to any model.
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